Circuit opening and closing switch for charging-circuits.



A. J. STEGKER. CIRCUIT OPENING AND CLOSING SWITCH FOR CHARGING CIRCUITS. APPLICATION FILED APR.'28, 1909.

1,026,003, v PatentedMa 14,1Q12.

ALFRED J. STECKER, 0F DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

CIRCUIT CPENING AND CLOSING SWITCH FOR. CHARGING-CIRCUITS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 14., 1912 Application filed April 28, 1909. Serial N 0. 492,619.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALFRED J. STECKER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Detroit, in the county of ayne, State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Circuit Opening and Closing Switches for Charging Circuits; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of'the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to a circuit opening and closing switch for charging circuits, especially designed for use in connection with the charging circuits of storage batteries used in the lighting and ignition systems of motor boats and automobiles, and consists in the construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully set forth and claimed.

The objects of the invention are to provide a simple and eflicient switch through the operation of which the charging circuit may be automatically closed upon the starting of the engine and the current required to operate the switch entirely out off.

A further object is to provide for automatically opening the charging circuit when the engine stops, to prevent the battery discharging back through the dynamo.

A further object is to provide for attracting the attention of thetoperator when the battery is fully charged, so that the circuit of the generator or dynamo may be opened to obviate a waste of energy.

The above objects are attained by the apparatus illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a diagrammatical view showing the circuit arrangements in connection with my switch for automatically opening and closing the charging circuit, said view illustrating a lamp circuit in connection with the storage battery. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the switch and magnet for actuating it. Fig. 3 is a front elevation thereof. Fig. 4 is a view partly in section showing the position of parts when the magnet is energized and the charging circuit closed. Fig. 5 is a bottom plan of the device with the parts in the position shown in Fig. 4.

The difficulties encountered in systems of this character where the charging circuitmust be opened and closed by a manually actuated switch, are that the operators n'eglect to close the switch upon starting the ,6

will result in the battery discharging through the dynamo. I overcome these objections by providing a circuit opening and closing switch which operates automatically upon the starting and stopping of the engine and which comprises an electro-magnet 1 having a double winding, one of which is a winding 2 of fine wire, and the other a winding 3 of coarse or heavy wire, as clearly shown'in Fig. 1. The magnet is suitably mounted upon a switch-board 4 and hinged at 5 to said switch-board is the armature 6 which extends outwardly across the lower end of themagnet below the depending pole piece 7 thereof which is preferably conical in form. Threaded within a tapped aperture in said armature is a bushing 8 of nonmagnetic material provided with an ap erture 8 therethrough which is adapted to receive said pole piece. Depending from the outer end of the armature is an arm 9 carrying at its lower end a transversely disposed' contact member 10 formed preferably of a plurality of spring blades having upwardly bent ends 11.

Projecting horizontally from the board 4 are the contact posts 12 and 13 respectively which are suitably insulated therefrom, and each of which is provided atits outer end with a flat under face 14 forming contact surfaces for the terminals of the contact member 10 which closes the circuit between said contact posts when the magnet is energized and the armature is raised. Depending from the inner end ofsaid armature is a second arm 15 which passes in the rear of a contact spring 16 secured at one end to the contact post 12 and normally in engagement at its opposite end with the contact post 17. \Vhen the magnet is deenergized and the armature thereof drops to the position shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the free end of the contact spring 16 will lie upon the contact post 17 and form a path for the flow of current between said posts for purposes hereinafter described. When the armature is raised throughthe energization of said magnet, the arm 15 thereof carries the spring contact 16 from engagement with the post 17 and opens said circuit in advance of the closing of the charging circuit between the contact posts 12 and 13 through the medium of the contact member 10.

In illustrating my invention, I have shown diagrammatically in Fig. 1 a dynamo 18, one of whose circuit wires 19 is connected to the contact post 12. The other circuit wire 20 of said dynamo is provided with a switch 21 and is connected at 22 to the windings 2 and 3 of the magnet. The opposite end of the finewinding- 2 is connected to the contact post 17, and the opposite end of the coarse winding 3 is connected to the circuit wire 23 leading to the storage battery 24. The return wire 25 from said battery is connected to the contact post 13. Also connected with the battery are the wires 26 and 27 of the lamp circuit. It will now be understood that the coarse winding 3 of the magnet is in series with the battery, while the fine winding 2 forms a shunt circuit which connects the terminals of the circuit wires 19 and 20. When the charging circuit is closed bythe energization of the magnet, the path of ,the current from the dynamo is through wire 20, the winding 3, the wire 23 to the battery, and from the battery on wire 25, contact post 13, contact member 10, contact post 12 and back to the dynamo on wire 19. When the magnet is deenergized, the charging circuit is opened at points 12 and 13 and the shunt circuit 2 is closed at point 17, thereby connecting the terminals of the wires 19 and 20 through said shunt coil which is the normal condition of parts -when the engine is not running and the dynamo is at rest.

It will be understood that the dynamo 18 is driven from the motor in a launch 01'- automobile in which this apparatus is installed. With the parts in the position shown in Fig. 1, a starting of the engine or motor will cause the initial current generated by the dynamo to flow through the fine winding 2 of the magnet and energize said magnet to attract its armature 6 which is'thereby raised tothe position shown in Fig. 4. This movement of the armature carries the terminals of the contact member 10 into engagement with the contact posts 12 and 13 and causes the arm 15 attached thereto to carry contact spring 16 from engagement at its free end with the contact post 17. The

opening of the shunt circuit at the contact post 17 and the closing of the charging circuit between the posts 12 and 13, will switch the dynamo current from the coil 2 through the coil 3 which will develop suflicient electro-magnetic force .during the flow of current, to hold the armature raised and will cause the current from the dynamo to pass through-the battery 24 When the engine charged, as may be desired.

is stopped, the dynamo will cease to enerate current and the armature 6 by orce of gravity will fall to the posit-ion shown in Figs. 2 and 3, thereby opening the charging circuit at the contact posts 12 and 13 and closing the shunt circuit through the coil 2 by allowing contact-spring 16 to a ain engage, contact post 17. By openlng the charging circuit, a discharge of current from the battery through the dynamo is prevented, and by closing the circuit through the coil 2 at the point 17, the device is restored to a condition to become operative to close the charging circuit as soon as the engine is again started. This device prevents any possible waste of current by the battery discharging through the-dynamo when the engine is not running, and provides for 3,111, tomatically closing the charging circuit upon the starting of the engine.

When the battery shall have become fully charged and the flow of current thereto has consequently become materially reduced, the passage of the reduced flow of current through the heavy winding 3- will not develop sufl'icient electro-magnetic force to hold the armature raised, permitting said armature to "fall and allowing the circuit through the winding 2 to be closed through the contact post 17 The closing of the circuit through the winding 2 will develop sufficient electro-magnetic force to again attract the armature, thereby again breaking said circuit through winding 2 and closing the charging circuit through the contact posts 12 and 13. The armature will again drop back, however, because of the insuflicient electro-Inagnetic force generated by the passage of the current through the winding 3 and close the circuit through thewinding 2, causing the armature to be again attracted. This operation results in'a rapid vibration of the armature which will call the operators attention to the fact that the battery is fully charged, when by openin the switch 21 the load may be taken of? the I dynamo, thereby reducing the consumption of power to the minimum.

v The non-magnetic bushing 8 in the armature which receives the pole piece of the magnet prevents the armature sticking to the pole piece, insuring the dropping of the armature whenever the magnet is deenergized. The bushing being threaded in the armature, enables it to be adjusted therein to increase or decrease the space between the armature and the magnet for the purpose of setting the switch to open the charging circuit upon the flow of current of a predetermined amperage through the magnet. By this arrangement when charging a battery, the switch device may be set to open the charging circuit when the battery shall have been completely or only partially Having thus fully set forth my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

A charging circuit including a enerator and a battery, an electro-magnet having a winding forming a portion of the charging circuit, a shunt circuit including a winding of said electro-magnet, one terminal of which is connected to one line of the charging circuit, a movable contact connecting the other terminal of the shunt circuit to the other line of the charging circuit, a movable 1 armature for said magnet carrying a circuit opening and closing member, contact points in the charging circuit with which said circuit opening and closing member is adapted v to have contact to close the charging circuit, an arm actuated by said armature engaging the movable contact of the shunt circuit,

whereby upon an energization of said magnet to close the charging circuit, the shunt circuit will be opened at said movable contact, and upon the denergization of said magnet to open the charging circuit, the contact will move to close the shunt circuit.

In testimony whereof, I sign this specification in the presence of two witnesses.

ALFRED J. STECKER.

Witnesses:

O. B. BAENZIGER, I. G. HOWLE'I'I. 

